MINSK, March 7. /TASS/. More than 20 people have been detained in Belarus following an attempted act of sabotage against a Russian A-50 plane, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday.
"As of today, more than 20 people have been detained in Belarus. Others are hiding there [abroad]," the BelTA news agency quoted him as saying.
He praised Belarusian law enforcement officers for the brilliant operation. "It was a brilliant operation. It is incredible that it took some 4-5 days to identify all those involved and detain them. It’s like finding a needle in a haystack. But we should not relax," Lukashenko said, adding that even those who fled the country have also been identified.
"I would like to stress once again, especially to the local scum and those who have fled: all of them have been identified, we will find them there, abroad. And I will repeat to the fugitives: be ready, we are after you. And stop posting things in messengers. We have nerves of steel. We know what to do," he said.
Earlier, it was reported that the Machulishchy airfield near Minsk came under attack and serious damage was allegedly caused to an A-50 long-range radar surveillance and control aircraft of the Russian aerospace forces.
Belarus refuted these reports as fake news. Later, the Belarus-1 television channel showed the A-50 plane moving along the runway.